Disease Detection System

The present invention relates to a system for detecting a disease in a person, notably a contagious disease such as an acute respiratory distress disease like COVID-19.

Potential COVID-19 patients are currently detected by taking a temperature, supplementary clinical examinations, then by a COVID-19 test which still possesses a relatively low confidence level. A pulmonary scanner can confirm the seriousness of the disease with a good level of precision.

There is a great need to rapidly detect, notably by virtue of mobile means, potential patients with a contagious disease, for example the disease linked to COVID-19.

One subject of the invention is thus a system for detecting a disease in a person, notably a contagious disease such as COVID-19, this detection system comprising:

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• an acquisition device for acquiring examination data on the person, this acquisition device notably comprising at least one physiological measurement sensor such as a radar, and a thermal camera for acquiring these examination data,

• a data processing device arranged to receive these examination data obtained by the acquisition device, • a display device arranged to display diagnostic information for diagnosing the disease based on an analysis of said examination data, it being possible for this diagnostic information to be representative of a level of probability that the person is infected with the disease.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the data processing device comprises an artificial intelligence unit arranged to process the examination data obtained by the acquisition device and provide said diagnostic information.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the data processing device and the display device form part of the same apparatus, for example a computer, notably a portable computer.

In this case, the display device is a screen of the portable computer and the data processing device comprises a microprocessor of this computer.

In a variant, the display device is arranged to be visible to the person examined, and notably the display device, which notably comprises a screen, is remote from the data processing device, these display and data processing devices being, for example, connected to one another by a wireless connection, for example by a 3G, 4G or 5G communication protocol, or by the Internet or Wi-Fi, for example.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the display device, and possibly also the data processing device, are arranged to be installed in a motor vehicle.

As a variant, the display device, and possibly also the data processing device, are arranged to be placed in a fixed manner, in a building or an external courtyard, for example.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the processing device is arranged to make the diagnosis automatically, without human intervention.

As a result of automatic processing, the invention makes rapid diagnosis and/or mass screening possible, making it possible to return to work or lift a lockdown more rapidly.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the acquisition device for acquiring examination data is arranged to make possible contactless measurements, at a safe distance, of vital signs and thermal and visible imaging on the person to be examined.

The system according to the invention thus advantageously uses the amalgamation of contactless measurements, at a safe distance, of vital signs, and of thermal and visible imaging.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the artificial intelligence unit is arranged to use a diagnostic model based on an artificial intelligence and fed by a reasonable number of clinical measurements.

The invention, as a result of relatively light equipment, notably makes possible facilitated deployment of field hospitals to support populations.

The invention makes it possible to perform diagnoses in a mobile manner. It is easy to put in place, for example using a thermal camera, a physiological measurement sensor such as a radar and a portable personal computer. The invention makes it possible for it to be set up rapidly over a whole area.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the acquisition device comprises a radar for acquiring data relating to the vital signs of the person, a thermal camera for temperature measurements providing temperature data, and a camera operating in the visible spectrum for characterizing the person tested, providing data for characterizing the person.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the data processing device is arranged to run a diagnostic algorithm based on an amalgamation of vital data, notably respiratory rate, respiration amplitude, inhalation and exhalation time, heart rate and arrhythmia.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the algorithm uses temperatures measured in noteworthy areas, located by processing the image, or indeed the oxygen level linked to the person examined.

Preferably, these noteworthy areas for temperature measurement are located inside the mouth, on the tip of the nose, on the cheeks and the palm of the hand.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the diagnostic algorithm uses a characterization of the person, such as age, gender, clothing, size and body mass index, also called BMI, data.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the system is arranged to acquire examination data until the diagnostic information is made available within a time period notably of between 30 and 120 seconds.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the system is arranged to make it possible to acquire the examination data by making measurements at a distance of 60 cm to 2 m between the acquisition device and the person. It avoids the person having to be in contact with the acquisition device.

The invention thus makes possible a rapid diagnosis without additional time for being directed to a doctor, for example. The diagnostic information may, where applicable, be sent automatically to a doctor and may be held on a data storage system of cloud type.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the data processing device uses an algorithm for analyzing the examination data acquired and, where applicable, for sorting people with the aim of detecting the cases of diseased people, based on all of the data collected and an artificial intelligence, the first level of training of which is performed on a sample in a hospital setting.

This training of the artificial intelligence may be performed by means of a set of measurements which is collected by the system, but also by means of medical monitoring of the patients. This makes improvement of the model over time possible.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the measurements performed by the acquisition device may serve to subsequently refine the diagnosis made by the artificial intelligence.

By virtue of the invention, a diagnosis may be made without contact with the person, thereby limiting the risks of contamination, this being particularly advantageous, for example, in the case of a pandemic such as that linked to COVID-19.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the examination data measured comprise at least one of the following data: temperatures measured at different points of the body of the person to be examined, a respiratory or a cardiac characteristic.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the acquisition device is arranged to acquire examination data comprising an external temperature, a temperature measured on a cheek of the person, a temperature measured on the tip of the nose of the person, and also, where applicable, a maximum temperature of the face and a temperature of a garment or of a surface at a controlled reference temperature.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the noteworthy measurement points are located by an artificial intelligence by means of an object identification flowchart.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the temperature relating to a noteworthy point is obtained by averaging over time and by averaging the temperatures of a surface defined by pixels originating from an image from an infrared camera in proximity to the noteworthy point identified on the visible image by means of an object identification algorithm.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the personal characterizations are identified by means of the red green blue camera (or RGB camera) or far infrared camera (FIR camera) in addition to reading the identity of the person, by virtue of a classification system which may be trained on RGB (red green blue) or infrared images. Using a larger number of parameters, notably age, gender, size, body mass index and phenotype, for example, serves to improve the diagnostic models.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the diagnostic model, or diagnostic algorithm, which is fed with more data, such as noteworthy temperatures of the body, an ambient temperature, a class of personal characteristics and a time of day, may be arranged to use, in addition, data on the movements of the person examined in order to check whether they have come into contact with a diseased person or have passed through an at-risk area.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the system is arranged to operate in the absence of a radar and by using the RGB cameras in order to estimate the cardiac and respiratory parameters.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the temperature relating to a noteworthy point may be obtained by averaging over time and by averaging the temperatures of a surface defined by pixels originating from an image from a camera in proximity to the noteworthy point. The noteworthy point is, for example, defined geometrically by means of an image area called a building box, which surrounds it, for example by means of the geometrical average of the sides of the area of the image. This image area is a surface delimited by a series of points which is constructed by an object identification algorithm.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the system lacks an RGB camera and/or does not use the surface the temperature of which is controlled. In this case, the system uses the external temperature and a model of heat transfer on the clothed areas or indeed only the differences in temperature between the noteworthy points.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the system is arranged to use an amalgamation of contactless measurements, notably of vital signs, and of thermal and visible imaging.

The diagnostic information comprises a class chosen from among three predetermined classes, which are “Healthy person”, “Person suspected to have the disease” and “Person highly likely to have the disease”.

The diagnostic information may also comprise an evaluation of the severity of the disease.

Another subject of the invention is a method for providing diagnostic information for detecting a disease in a person, notably a contagious disease such as COVID-19, this method comprising the following steps:

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• acquiring examination data on the person, using an acquisition device notably comprising at least one physiological measurement sensor such as a radar, and a thermal camera for acquiring these examination data, • receiving these examination data obtained by the acquisition device, • processing these examination data in order to obtain diagnostic information for diagnosing the disease based on an analysis of said examination data, • displaying diagnostic information for diagnosing the disease based on an analysis of said examination data, it being possible for this diagnostic information to be representative of a level of probability that the person is infected with the disease.

The present invention may make checks possible in the public realm in general, notably on lanes of human traffic, at entrances and exits of buildings, at airport gates and in schools.

The present invention also makes medical monitoring of people possible, for example for diseased people receiving home care.

The invention and its various applications will be better understood upon reading the description which follows and upon studying the figures which accompany it:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system according to a non-limiting embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram illustrating the hardware implemented in the system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram illustrating the steps implemented in the system of FIG. 1 .

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a system 1 for detecting a disease in a person, notably a contagious disease such as COVID-19, according to the invention.

This system 1 comprises:

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• an acquisition device 7 for acquiring examination data on the person, • a data processing device 3 arranged to receive these examination data obtained by the acquisition device 7 , • a display device 30 arranged to display diagnostic information for diagnosing the disease based on an analysis of said examination data, it being possible for this diagnostic information to be representative of a level of probability that the person is infected with the disease.

This system 1 comprises, in particular:

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• a sensor for sensing the cardiac activity of at least one passenger, in this instance the heart rate, this sensor being a camera operating in the near infrared, • a sensor for sensing the respiratory activity, notably in respiratory amplitude and/or frequency terms, of at least one passenger, this sensor being a camera operating in the far infrared, or thermal camera, • a radar arranged to measure vital signs of the person, • a sensor for sensing the profile characteristics of the passenger, notably their gender, weight, size and age, this sensor being in this instance a red green blue camera, also called an RGB camera, • a card reader for reading an identity card of the person and obtaining personal data of the person.

These sensors and cameras, which form part of the acquisition device 7 , are shown by the reference symbol 2 in FIG. 1 . Certain sensors 2 are, for example, positioned in the roof of the vehicle. One of the other cameras 2 is positioned in a side pillar 6 of the vehicle V.

The heart rate and respiration sensor may be in the back of the seat or in the center console level with the thigh of the passenger, this being non-limiting.

These sensors 2 are connected in order to exchange information with a data processing device 3 placed on the vehicle V.

The data processing device 3 comprises an artificial intelligence unit arranged to process the examination data obtained by the acquisition device 7 and provide said diagnostic information.

The data processing device 3 and the display device 30 form part of the same apparatus, for example a computer, notably a portable computer.

In this case, the display device 30 is a screen of the portable computer and the data processing device comprises a microprocessor of this computer.

The display device 30 is arranged to be visible to the person examined, and notably the display device, which notably comprises a screen, is remote from the data processing device, these display and data processing devices being, for example, connected to one another by a wireless connection, for example by a 3G, 4G or 5G communication protocol, or by the Internet or Wi-Fi, for example.

The display device 30 , and also the data processing device 3 , are in this instance arranged to be installed in a motor vehicle.

As a variant, the display device 30 , and possibly also the data processing device 3 , are arranged to be placed in a fixed manner, in a building or an external courtyard, for example.

The processing device 3 is arranged to make the diagnosis automatically, without human intervention.

The acquisition device 7 for acquiring examination data is arranged to make possible contactless measurements, at a safe distance, of vital signs and thermal and visible imaging on the person to be examined.

The system according to the invention thus advantageously uses the amalgamation of contactless measurements, at a safe distance, of vital signs, and of thermal and visible imaging.

The artificial intelligence unit is arranged to use a diagnostic model based on an artificial intelligence and fed by a reasonable number of clinical measurements.

The invention makes it possible to perform diagnoses in a mobile manner. It is easy to put in place, for example using a thermal camera, a physiological measurement sensor such as a radar and a portable personal computer.

The acquisition device 7 comprises a radar for acquiring data relating to the vital signs of the person, a thermal camera for temperature measurements providing temperature data, and a camera operating in the visible spectrum for characterizing the person tested, providing data for characterizing the person.

The data processing device 3 is arranged to run a diagnostic algorithm based on an amalgamation of vital data, notably respiratory rate, respiration amplitude, inhalation and exhalation time, heart rate and arrhythmia and oximetry.

The algorithm uses temperatures measured in noteworthy areas, located by processing the image.

Preferably, these noteworthy areas for temperature measurement are located inside the mouth, on the tip of the nose, on the cheeks and the palm of the hand.

The diagnostic algorithm uses a characterization of the person, such as age, gender, clothing, size and body mass index data.

The system is arranged to acquire examination data until the diagnostic information is made available within a time period notably of between 30 and 120 seconds.

The invention thus makes possible a rapid diagnosis without additional time for being directed to a doctor, for example. The diagnostic information may, where applicable, be sent automatically to a doctor and may be held on a data storage system 40 of cloud type.

The data processing device 3 uses an algorithm for analyzing the examination data acquired and, where applicable, for sorting people with the aim of detecting the cases of diseased people, based on all of the data collected and an artificial intelligence, the first level of training of which is performed on a sample in a hospital setting.

The measurements performed by the acquisition device may serve to subsequently refine the diagnosis made by the artificial intelligence.

By virtue of the invention, a diagnosis may be made without contact with the person, thereby limiting the risks of contamination, this being particularly advantageous, for example, in the case of a pandemic such as that linked to COVID-19.

According to one of the aspects of the invention, the examination data measured comprise at least one of the following data: temperatures measured at different points of the body of the person to be examined, a respiratory or a cardiac characteristic.

The acquisition device 7 is arranged to acquire examination data comprising an external temperature, a temperature measured on a cheek of the person, a temperature measured on the tip of the nose of the person, and also, where applicable, a maximum temperature of the face and a temperature of a garment or of a surface at a controlled reference temperature.

The noteworthy measurement points are located by an artificial intelligence by means of an object identification flowchart.

The personal characterizations are identified by means of the red green blue camera (or RGB camera) or far infrared camera (FIR camera) in addition to reading the identity of the person, by virtue of a classification system which may be trained on RGB (red green blue) or infrared images. Using a larger number of parameters, notably age, gender, size, body mass index and phenotype, for example, serves to improve the diagnostic models.

The diagnostic model, or diagnostic algorithm, which is fed with more data, such as noteworthy temperatures of the body, an ambient temperature, a class of personal characteristics and a time of day, may be arranged to use, in addition, data on the movements of the person examined in order to check whether they have come into contact with a diseased person or have passed through an at-risk area.

The temperature relating to a noteworthy point may be obtained by averaging over time and by averaging the temperatures of a surface defined by pixels originating from an image from a camera in proximity to the noteworthy point. The noteworthy point is, for example, defined geometrically by means of an image area called a building box, which surrounds it. This image area is a surface delimited by a series of points which is constructed by an object identification algorithm.

The diagnostic information comprises a class chosen from among three predetermined classes, which are “Healthy person”, “Person suspected to have the disease” and “Person highly likely to have the disease”.

The invention thus implements the following steps:

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• acquiring examination data on the person using the acquisition device 7 of FIG. 2 , which are the steps 20 to 25 of FIG. 3 , • receiving these examination data obtained by the acquisition device, • processing these examination data in order to obtain diagnostic information for diagnosing the disease based on an analysis of said examination data, using the data processing device 3 of FIG. 2 (step 28 of FIG. 3 ), • displaying diagnostic information for diagnosing the disease based on an analysis of said examination data, it being possible for this diagnostic information to be representative of a level of probability that the person is infected with the disease (step 29 of FIG. 3 ).

The steps 20 to 25 of FIG. 3 are the following:

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• the personal characterizations are identified by means of the red green blue cameras (or RGB cameras), which is the step 20 , • acquiring the temperature of the person in the step 21 with a thermal camera of FIR type, the details of this temperature acquisition having already been described, • acquiring the respiratory rate in the step 22 using the FIR camera, • acquiring the heart rate in the step 23 using the camera in the near infrared, or NIR camera, • acquiring vital signs using the radar, in the step 24 , • acquiring personal data using the card reader in the step 25 , • potentially oximetry by the near infrared (NIR) camera.

The present invention also makes medical monitoring of people possible.

The examination data may, where applicable, comprise the size of the pupils and their position.

The diagnostic information is sent automatically to a remote data storage system of cloud type.

Likewise, the information which is useful to the diagnostic model, or diagnostic algorithm, may be received from the remote system of cloud type.

Potentially two, NIR and FIR, cameras are used. The FIR camera for the temperatures and the characteristics of the respiration and the NIR camera for the oximetry and the heart rate.

The acquisition device is notably arranged to acquire examination data comprising an external temperature, a temperature measured on a cheek of the person, a temperature measured on the tip of the nose of the person, and also, where applicable, a maximum temperature of the face and a temperature of a garment or of a surface at a controlled reference temperature, and, where applicable, a tidal volume, tremors and the blood oxygen level.